The present invention relates to a machine-translation/electronic-mail system which performs a translation of a document mailed by an electronic mail to obtain a desired translation result issued from the system to designated users, and more particularly to a private-use word registering apparatus of a machine-translation/electronic-mail system which permits users to register and search a private-use word used by them.
As a result largely of progress in hardware and software technologies in recent years, we have now reached a position where machine translation has become substantially possible. Furthermore, it has become possible for computers such as word processing machines, personal computers, workstations, general-purpose computers and the like to communicate with each other through electric mails. Therefore, a machine-translation apparatus can be combined with an electronic-mail apparatus to produce a so-called machine-translation/electronic-mail system of a conventional type.
In using of the conventional machine-translation/electronic-mail system, the user operates an editor unit provided in his own computer to prepare texts such as treatise and the like to be translated. This text is then inputted through the electronic mail to the system of another computer with a machine-translation apparatus. The other computer, having received the electronic mail, analyzes it to extract the text being translated, and performs a machine translation on the text to obtain a translation result. The thus obtained translation result is then delivered by the system to designated users through the electronic mails. Consequently, it is possible for all the users to obtain the translation result through the electronic mail by utilizing the conventional system. Therefore, the users do not need to purchase the machine-translation apparatus for their own computers, to lease another computer provided with the machine-translation apparatus, or out to use another computer provided with the machine-translation apparatus. As is clear from the above description, the conventional machine-translation/electronic-mail system is advantageous in effect.
However, the conventional machine-translation/electronic-mail system has the disadvantage that the user cannot directly operate the standard dictionary provided in the conventional system, and, therefore he cannot register his own private-use word. Thus, the result of the machine translation differs considerably differs from the user's desired result with the continuing progress in engineering development, a great number of new words are appearing. These words may be newly created or may be existing words with new meanings different from their conventional meanings. Consequently, the disadvantage of the conventional machine-translation/electronic-mail system is becoming increasingly serious.